How much does it cost to climb the Seven Summits?

How much does it cost to climb the Seven Summits?

Our resident mountaineer and would-be seven peaker is crunching numbers on how much it will cost to climb the seven peaks

How much does it cost to climb the Seven Summits? About $180,000 give or take $10,000.

Climbers could cut costs significantly by forgoing luxuries, cutting corners, and taking (even more) risks to get that number under $100,000, but I don't recommend this and certainly won't take such unnecessary risks.

I arrived at the above figure by looking at five established international mountain guide companies based in the US, UK and New Zealand. I compiled their prices for climbing all seven peaks (using the same routes if possible) and calculated the average: $162,139.

Added to this are the costs of flight and equipment. Flights will of course depend on where each person is staying, but you can expect seven round-trip international flights - often in peak season - to cost between $7,000 and $12,000.

In terms of equipment, a lot of it is specialized and therefore expensive. Drawing on the trusted expertise of Alan Arnette, I scoured the guide companies' gear lists and settled on a base amount of $10,000. This is a bare minimum amount, but could – and probably will – be significantly more.

Additionally, the approximate figure of $180,000 does not include any additional courses or training a climber may need. It also doesn't include intermediate mountains like a tentative eight-thousander - like Cho Oyu or Manaslu - which most climbers should really try before attempting Everest.

Only individuals can decide what training they need. I have already completed winter mountaineering courses and plan to take more alpine and rock climbing courses before heading to Denali and Puncak Jaya. I'll take care of further training on eight-thousanders if I win the lottery.

So far I have climbed the "cheap" and "easy" Seven Summits, so to speak: Kilimanjaro in 2010, Elbrus in 2017 and Aconcagua in 2020. They were relatively easy to reach and did not require advanced mountaineering skills or special training, which also helped keep costs comparatively low.

Results

• Die durchschnittlichen Kosten für die Besteigung aller sieben Gipfel betragen 162.139 $.
• Klettern mit dem britischen Outfit Jagged Globe ist das billigste der fünf Unternehmen, die wir mit 137.572 $ bewertet haben. Dies ist jedoch teilweise auf die aktuelle Schwäche des Pfunds (£) zurückzuführen.
• Das teuerste, das ich eingeschätzt habe, waren 174.700 US-Dollar bei der in Amerika ansässigen Reiseleitungsfirma RMI Expeditions.
• Durch das Mischen und Anpassen von Führungsunternehmen konnte ich die Zahl auf 135.909 US-Dollar senken.
• Durch den Einsatz lokaler Guide-Outfits auf Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua und Puncak Jaya und durch das Mischen und Anpassen von Guide-Unternehmen auf den verbleibenden drei Gipfeln konnte ich den Preis auf 123.851 US-Dollar senken.
• Der absolut billigste Weg, den ich gefunden habe, war 97.520 $. Dies nutzt lokale Führer und Unternehmen, grundlegende Unterstützungspakete und verzichtet auf viele der Luxus- und Sicherheitssysteme, die von etablierteren Unternehmen und Unterstützungspaketen bereitgestellt werden.
• Darüber hinaus müssen Kletterer Flugkosten (7.000 bis 12.000 US-Dollar), Ausrüstung (mindestens 10.000 US-Dollar) und zusätzliches Training einplanen.

Seven peaks cost with guides

Aside from professional mountaineers, it's safe to assume that the majority of climbers will hire mountain guides to help them climb most - if not all - of the seven peaks.

For many climbers, it is somewhat plausible to climb the easier peaks of Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and Aconcagua without the full logistical support of a mountain guide company (although all climbers on Kili must climb with a licensed mountain guide).

However, the tougher peaks of Denali, Puncak Jaya, Vinson and Everest will almost certainly require the assistance of a mountain guide company.

Of course, there are dozens of professional tour guides around the world that I've left out, and it may well be possible to get a lower price.

Notes

• Alle Zahlen sind in USD
• Alle Zahlen ohne internationale Flugpreise (Budget 7.000-12.000 $ dafür)
• Alle Zahlen ohne Ausrüstung und Kleidung (Budget ab 10.000 $ dafür)
• AC: Abenteuerberater
• AA: Alpine Besteigungen
• JG: Jagged Globe (Wechselkurs GBP-USD verwendet)
• MM: Bergwahnsinn
• RMI: RMI-Expeditionen

The cheapest way to climb the Seven Summits

Prices below are calculated assuming climbers use local providers and guides where possible, pay only for basic support packages and are prepared to climb unaided on many sections of all routes.

The numbers are based on the cheapest – usually fastest – routes up the mountain. As above, the figures exclude airfare, equipment and additional training programs.

Note: We do NOT recommend this option and only include it for completeness.

old=““>

Mission statement: Vixit/Shutterstock

      .